At a time when one-in-eight students in Arizona qualify for English language services, the state has made controversial and — according to the federal government – possibly unlawful changes to its language education program.

School enrollment numbers have been dropping consistently since 2007 in many Phoenix districts with large Hispanic populations. Superintendents partially blame the economy for this decrease, but they say Arizona’s employer sanctions law in 2007 and SB 1070 in 2010 cracking down on illegal immigrants are also key factors.

The state Department of Education in May 2010 released an audit, charging that 105 students, some of whom are U.S. citizens, are attending schools in Ajo but are actually living across the border in Mexico and not entitled to a free education in Arizona schools. The state fined the Ajo Unified $1.2 million, the amount the state claims was spent to educate those students.

House passes budget package, Senate goes home Just a few hours after saying she was “bound and determined” to pass a budget Friday night, Senate President Karen Fann sent senators home for the night without voting on an $11.8 billion spending plan.May 25, 2019 , 5:31 am